The Steam Ban around York

The ban certainly changed our holiday plans. Instead of a week in York we had a week in Cornwall. So the ban has lost money to York hotels, pubs, shops and restaurants as well as to WCRC.

 

Similarly, I was planning a week in Yorkshire at the start of August. I cancelled that when I saw the way things were going. I'm joining some friends on a boat on the Thames next week instead.

 

There has been reports locally in Scarborough, from shopkeeper and cafés and amusement arcades etc via newspapers re the loss of trade from day trippers coming in to the town on these special trips compared with earlier years.
It has been blamed on the non running of steam trips and having Diesels on the remainder.
It would be interesting for a loss of income if someone tried recovery methods but not sure how the figures could be proved.

 

You will let us know how it goes won't you Fred. (insert Don Quixote smilie here)

 

Think that maybe going a bit to far lol






Wayne likes this

 

Some interesting reading in today's Railway Herald on this topic.

 

Give us a clue

 

The general gist is 5972 was being worked when it shouldn't have been and now WCR and NR are trying to reach an agreement on proof that it will not happen again.

Better to read the article seeing as Railway Herald have put the effort in to chase on the matter.

 

Yes,and as the spat between WCRC and NR has now been referred to a "dispute resolution" procedure,sounds like it won't be sorted out quickly.

 

Huh?! It was uphill!

 

So does this mean the ban won't be lifted until the dispute is resolved? I see the Newcastle CME on Friday is now steam Carlisle-Hellifield -Blackburn (!) and the Waverley on Sunday continues as steam Hellifield--Carlisle return. No way ground conditions and temperatures justify an outright ban now.

 

The Herald seems to be saying that the so-called ban is now nothing to do with current fire risk,it is a contractual dispute between WCRC and NR which apparently cannot be resolved except by a " dispute resolution" procedure. The implication being that if DBS had anything steam running up that way(don't think they have)there would be no problem.

 

This has been implicated all along by many people, and shows the tour operators having all there eggs in one basket to be a poor decision based on this years events.

Lets hope another TOC comes to the rescue soon, as the "dispute resolution" seems to do steam no favours at all.

Personally will not book any UK steam now, its a bust flush, in the current circumstances, a view backed up by many, you can only let down people so many times without it coming home to roost.

 

This week I've had a number of emails from RTC offering discounts on tours. Must be a struggle filling the trains with all the uncertainty just now. I hope things get back to normal soon. We could do with something to build customer confidence, and tours running with steam as advertised.

 

I've been wondering why the Fellsman's are still with "diesel in tow" when the NW region is supposedly "green" for fire risk.

 

It could be operationally convenient?

 

And just what are the chance of another TOC coming onto the scene? And lets face it, it's only the Yorks area that is the problem, steam continues in other parts of the country, and unaided as well.

For the sake of your beloved UK steam, you had better hope a competitor decides to get a TOC licence.

As for York being the only problem area, remember it did have a previous high profile ECMl closure, involving a steam loco operated by?????

Maybe they are being too careful, but can you really blame them, maybe they are the only current TOC in the area, however they are very much under the microscope it seems.